The River Celebrates 20 Years of Making Arts Education Accessible for All

The River Performing and Visual Arts Center (The River), celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Junior League of Houston and raised nearly $300,000 with a night of heart-tugging stories and spectacular performances by The River's Performance Troupe, emceed by Sunny 99.1 DJ, Dana Tyson.

The Dream Out Loud Celebration, chaired by Michele Womack with Robin and Danny Klaes as honorary chairs, was attended by 290 guests dressed in Roaring 20's attire. The River founders, Bob and Cathy Binstock, were honored for their long support of The River by Amy Pierce, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) Board Chairman. Texans' Head Coach Bill O'Brien and his wife, Colleen, received the Sammy Award for their advocacy for people with disabilities.

"The River is so important in shaping students minds and hearts and helping them to have self-confidence," said Colleen O'Brien.

The River began in 1996 when the Binstock's three-year-old daughter Samantha wanted to take ballet lessons, but was denied access because she has cerebral palsy which affects her vision, balance, speech and movement. Cathy Binstock, who was a clinical social worker, took it upon herself to see that no child would be denied access to arts education because of a disability. With the help of arts instructors and other friends, Binstock started with one creative movement class for seven little girls and The River was born.

"The River believes in the power of the arts and inclusion. We see ability and use the arts to share it with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. It's amazing what individuals with disabilities can accomplish when the bar is set high," said Eileen Edmonds, Assistant Director, Education - The River.

In 2010, The River merged with Theatre Under The Stars to achieve a common goal of offering Arts Access to children of all abilities. Through its 20 years, The River has provided arts education for more than 25,000 children with special needs and their siblings.

"The River 20th Anniversary Celebration was uplifting for everyone who was in the room. It's always great to see the kids perform. The River gives every child a place to show all their abilities and be the best they can be in every way," said Garia Moore whose son Sebastian has been a student at The River for seven years.

Guests for this grand evening included TUTS Board Chairman, Amy Pierce; Robin and Danny Klaes, Michele Womack, Charlie Thomas, Tracy and Jeff Everist, Tracy and Jim Fish, Tany and Chaz Klaes, Becky and Bart McAndrews, Patrice McKinney, Arielle and Harry McMahan, Cathy and Bob Binstock, Becca and Scott Schwinger and Toni and Howard Tate.

Auction items included diamond earrings donated by Taylor and Company and handbags donated by Elaine Turner which sold out in 15 minutes.

To learn more about The River, go to www.tuts.com/river.

To post a comment, you must register and login.